“What are you—”
“Shh,” he said, carefully placing his palm over my lips, eyes looking toward where we previously stood. “Someone’s coming.”
Shit. Did they follow me? I left barely thirty minutes ago, and I wasn’tthatslow, there was no way they’d know I was out already. It—
“I understand your concerns,” the familiar voice of my father said, and my eyes widened. I turned my head slightly, Dimitri easing his hold to allow the motion.
What I saw made my blood run cold.
Shit.
“They’re not really concerns,” Amyntas said, his accent thick, but mastery of our language impressive. “I just want to make sure we’re on the same page here.”
“And we are,” my father answered calmly. “Nefertari really wants this to happen. Anastasia might seem a bit rough on the edges, butshe’ll make a wonderful wife. And she’ll give you a powerful heir, I know it.”
“Was offering your daughter your wife’s choice, then?”
They stopped at the clearing where Dimitri caught me and looked at each other. My breath was stuck in my throat, afraid his Dragon senses would pick up my trace if I breathed too loud. My father nodded.
“It was, yes. Nefertari had this in mind since our children were born, I believe. Twins are a rare blessing, after all.”
Amyntas gave a non-committal hum before he looked around, eyes narrowed. Fuck, I was going to faint from lack of oxygen soon.
“I’ve heard she’ll have more chances of having twins herself,” my father added, holding his hands behind his back. “That’s what the Witches predicted.”
Amyntas gave my father a condescending look. “Shamans—Witchesaren’t trustworthy anymore, I thought you knew this.”
“They’re uncorrupted,” my father responded with a shake of the head. “We’re keeping a close watch on them to make sure they stay under the Hellriser’s radar. We killed a corrupted coven on the mainland less than a month ago.”
Dimitri’s gaze met mine, searching. Did he even understand what they were saying? A lot of humans knew about Astrals, but some were still clueless about their influence, especially if they lived far from where the different Astral species lived. Nothing on his face showed if he did or did not know. His blue eyes were curious. Searching. Assessing.
Amyntas sighed. “You need to understand that I’m nothing like my father was.” He paused, staring my father down. “But if I’m placing my trust in your family—in yourdaughter, and you screw me over, I won’t take it kindly.”
“As you should,” my father simply said, like this Dragon ass didn’t just threaten us all. “After all, once you choose between your two Maiden, it marks your soul.”
My father’s chuckle was dry and forced.
Amyntas looked toward us once again and Dimitri swiftly pressed me deeper against the bark of the tree, hiding us from their sight. My heart plummeted in my chest. I could feel his eyes looking straight at us, like he could see through the thick trunk. But nothing happened, andafter a short, breathless moment, their footsteps retreated back toward the village. Dimitri’s fingers pinched my chin, forcing my eyes up.
“What the Hell is aMaiden?”
“I don’t like this.”
His sigh echoed in the forest’s silence.
“Do you thinkIdo?” I stretched my back to relieve the ache that had settled after sitting on the boulder for what seemed to have been a whole hour. “I can’tdothat. I’m—I don’t want to be forced into this marriage.”
“Then leave with me,” he said, like it was really an option. Like we wouldn’t be hunted down by both my family and the Dragon clan if we tried.
His hand landed on mine, the touch soft. Slow.Deliberate. I needed to pull mine away. I couldn’t afford Amyntas to smell or sense Dimitri’s existence. Couldn’t afford to cause the death of the mate I was gifted with but couldn’t accept.
But I couldn’t bring myself to. It was selfish, really. Risking his life like this for just a small touch.
“I can’t,” I said, still not pulling my hand back. “Astrals can be ruthless, and I wouldn’t subject you to—”
“You’re not subjecting me to anything,” he whispered, scooting closer, brushing his bicep to my shoulder. “I can’t leave this place without you anyway.”
“Of course you can.” And yet the idea of him leaving me behind twisted my inside. But I couldn’t be selfish. Not for this. “It would be the smart choice. I can’t leave with you without risking your life, and if you stay, you’ll only have a front row spot to my misery and—”
